After Your Baby is Born

Postnatal Stay

Most women who give birth at Auckland City Hospital will transfer to Birthcare about three to four hours after their baby is born and then stay at Birthcare for two to three days. This is an important time to learn how to look after your baby with help and advice readily available. The AOC doctor who looked after you in labour will visit you at Birthcare.

If there are any concerns about you or your baby you will stay at Auckland City Hospital although you can often transfer to Birthcare the next day. If your baby is born by caesarean section then you will spend your first night at Auckland City Hospital but can usually transfer to Birthcare at 24 to 48 hours if you wish. Hospital accommodation is a mixture of single and double rooms. You will usually get a single room at Auckland City Hospital for most or all of your post-natal stay but may sometimes need to share if the hospital is very busy. At Birthcare there are fully subsidised shared rooms and single private rooms for which there is a charge.

Some women go straight home from the labour and birthing suite, especially if it is not their first baby. This usually works best if you have a lot of support at home but most women are very appreciative of the rest and advice they receive during a postnatal stay at Birthcare or Auckland City Hospital.

Postnatal Midwifery Care

Towards the end of your pregnancy you will need to arrange for one of our post-natal midwives to visit you regularly at home in the first four weeks after your baby is born. Your baby’s feeding and growth can be checked and any worries you might have about your baby, or yourself can be discussed. Your post-natal midwife will advise you on how to get in contact with Plunket locally. We are also available for advice. Do phone us if you have any concerns or are feeling unwell.

Family Support

Many couples have become used to living without the support of their parents and extended family but a new baby is a time when as much family help as possible is needed.

Try to make room for your parents to visit regularly or stay for a couple of weeks. They may need some ground rules and a daily list of tasks: a grandchild might be a new experience for them too. Other grandparents will be old hands and be delighted to help.

Make as much use of friends and neighbours as you can for meals, washing and household tasks.

If your parents are coming from overseas and visas could be a problem talk to us – sometimes a supporting letter from a lead maternity carer explaining why family support is needed can be helpful.

Extra Help

Breast feeding, care for older siblings, keeping up with cleaning and cooking or just general exhaustion are all a problem for new mums and dads.

There are many ways you can access extra help with a new baby. Friends are often only too happy to come and do some cooking, shopping or cleaning – you only have to ask.

Spend as much on cleaners and childcare for older siblings as you can afford. This is all worth arranging in advance during the last few weeks before your baby is born.

Postnatal Depression

Postnatal depression (PND) is a term used to cover a number of emotional changes that can occur after giving birth, and sometimes during pregnancy.

Between 10-15% of women in New Zealand suffer from some form of postnatal depression, so it really is quite common and it is important to be aware of what can happen and how to get help.

Most women will experience “Baby Blues” or “day three” blues during the first week after having a baby – you may have mood swings, episodes of anxiety, tearfulness or a feeling of just not coping. This lasts a few days only.

PND can start at any time in the year after having a baby. Usually it starts in the first six weeks but can begin months later. There are a number of different symptoms and it may be hard to tell if this is “just being a mother” or PND, especially if this is your first baby and there is nothing to compare your current experiences to. Often women feel they are a bad mother or have failed in some way - this is not true.

Symptoms of PND

Changes in mood – this may vary through the day from quite well to very depressed and low

Sleep problems not related to baby’s need, for example being unable to get back to sleep after feeding or sleeping too much

The “Baby Blues” are self-limiting and do not require treatment. PND varies in severity and some women will need to take anti-depressant medication. Other women will get better with extra practical support and counselling. Do contact us if you or your partner is worried about the development of PND. Treatments are very effective and we can organise help quickly.

The Six Week Postnatal Check

We will see you and baby at about six weeks for a check-up. This is to make sure all is well with both you and baby. We can also answer any questions you have about your birth or future pregnancies. We can advise you about contraception and take a cervical smear if it is due. Your GP will also see baby at about this time for baby’s immunisations.